It is amazing how we, human beings, can adapt to almost everything.
When I arrived in Singapore, I was sweating a lot, not able to resist the heat and humidity, I even had a heat rash. 5 weeks later, I am okay with the climate, I can actually wear skinny jeans, thing I thought was completely impossible and nonsensical to do here. It may seem insignificant, but is shows how we are, how we adapt to new environment, situations, people. We have this amazing ability and sometimes, we don't even realize it.
Think about it, we are able to go somewhere new and make it home. What seemed strange, hard, different yesterday can be now part of our daily routine. And it seems as if we have no limitations.
I did find one limit to my adaptation. It might be very strange or illogical, or maybe it's a primitive reaction?! Let me explain. I have lived 3 years in Lima, Peru. I really loved those years. Peru has almost become my second nation, I have people there I can call friends and family. I learnt so much over there. Yet, I am not sure I will be able to go back and actually start a life again over there.
My reason is simple: Peru is situated along the boundary of two tectonic plates, the Nazca Plate and the South American one causing tremors and earthquakes. While all Peruvians I met living there had absolutely no issue with this fact, I could not get used to it. They have grown up and accepted this reality, they know it can happen, they didn't choose it, it's part of their environment. Moreover, earthquake would never be the number one reason why people would live the city if they had an opportunity. I found it extraordinary, because I can't. This is my limitation - and I don't know if it sounds very rational. Indeed I have a fear of something that might or might not happen, so I could potentially spend my whole life there and nothing would happen. But if an earthquake happens, that the one I experienced back in 2007, I know it can actually destroy and kill hundreds around me in less than 3 minutes.
When I was living there, of course I didn't let this "fear" control my life, it would have been totally insane. I mean, you cannot live thinking something bad/wrong/dangerous might happen to you or you won't be going out of your home. I simply adapted to the situation and context and go on with my life. I come from a very "quiet" nature area and that might be the reason why I might no longer be able to go back in Lima and deal with it. Or maybe it is just a primitive sense that tells me not to add natural disasters to the current many risks of life...
Yet, who knows? Maybe I will go back.
A lot of people live in dangerous areas (dangerous for many different reasons), by choice or not, yet we are like that, able and capable of building and carrying on with our lives wherever we are, wherever we go.
When I arrived in Singapore, I was sweating a lot, not able to resist the heat and humidity, I even had a heat rash. 5 weeks later, I am okay with the climate, I can actually wear skinny jeans, thing I thought was completely impossible and nonsensical to do here. It may seem insignificant, but is shows how we are, how we adapt to new environment, situations, people. We have this amazing ability and sometimes, we don't even realize it.
Think about it, we are able to go somewhere new and make it home. What seemed strange, hard, different yesterday can be now part of our daily routine. And it seems as if we have no limitations.
I did find one limit to my adaptation. It might be very strange or illogical, or maybe it's a primitive reaction?! Let me explain. I have lived 3 years in Lima, Peru. I really loved those years. Peru has almost become my second nation, I have people there I can call friends and family. I learnt so much over there. Yet, I am not sure I will be able to go back and actually start a life again over there.
My reason is simple: Peru is situated along the boundary of two tectonic plates, the Nazca Plate and the South American one causing tremors and earthquakes. While all Peruvians I met living there had absolutely no issue with this fact, I could not get used to it. They have grown up and accepted this reality, they know it can happen, they didn't choose it, it's part of their environment. Moreover, earthquake would never be the number one reason why people would live the city if they had an opportunity. I found it extraordinary, because I can't. This is my limitation - and I don't know if it sounds very rational. Indeed I have a fear of something that might or might not happen, so I could potentially spend my whole life there and nothing would happen. But if an earthquake happens, that the one I experienced back in 2007, I know it can actually destroy and kill hundreds around me in less than 3 minutes.
When I was living there, of course I didn't let this "fear" control my life, it would have been totally insane. I mean, you cannot live thinking something bad/wrong/dangerous might happen to you or you won't be going out of your home. I simply adapted to the situation and context and go on with my life. I come from a very "quiet" nature area and that might be the reason why I might no longer be able to go back in Lima and deal with it. Or maybe it is just a primitive sense that tells me not to add natural disasters to the current many risks of life...
Yet, who knows? Maybe I will go back.
A lot of people live in dangerous areas (dangerous for many different reasons), by choice or not, yet we are like that, able and capable of building and carrying on with our lives wherever we are, wherever we go.